scholarly journals Promoting Self-Care in Caregivers of Older Adults Living With Chronic Illness: The iCare4Me Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 376-376
Author(s):  
Lauren Massimo ◽  
Karen Hirschman ◽  
Harleah Buck

Abstract Informal caregivers provide a substantial amount of social support to older adults which can be stressful and lead to poor self-care. When stressed, caregivers of persons living with chronic illness are less vigilant and less motivated to engage in self-care behaviors that are important for maintaining their own physical and emotional health. Support interventions can encourage self-care by helping caregivers to focus on values, solve problems, and transform their goals into action. In this symposium, we will discuss the iCareMe study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (NCT03988621) that tests a virtual support intervention which utilizes health coaching to increase self-care behaviors in caregivers of older adults living with chronic illnesses, such as heart failure and dementia. The first session will discuss the translation of self-care theory to the basis for the “Virtual Caregiver Coach for You” (ViCCY) intervention and will provide an overview of the iCare4Me randomized control trial designed for caregivers of persons living with advanced heart failure. The second session will describe the adaptation of the iCare4Me RCT to caregivers of persons living with dementia. The third session will highlight findings from a qualitative descriptive study examining the characteristics of effective health coaching used in these two RCTs. Finally, the last session will share findings from a cross-sectional analysis examining moderators of self-care in heart failure caregivers. Together, these presentations will illustrate the unique and innovative approach that iCare4Me has taken to improve self-care in caregivers of older adults living with chronic illness.

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. S66
Author(s):  
A. Joshi ◽  
R. Mancini ◽  
J. Wong ◽  
C. Michel ◽  
R. Sheppard ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Dorsch ◽  
Karen B. Farris ◽  
Brigid E. Rowell ◽  
Scott L. Hummel ◽  
Todd M. Koelling

BACKGROUND Successful management of heart failure (HF) involves guideline based medical therapy as well as self-care behavior. As a result, the management of HF is moving toward a proactive real-time technological model of assisting patients with monitoring and self-management. OBJECTIVE Evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile application intervention that enhances self-monitoring on health-related quality of life, self-management, and reduces HF readmissions. METHODS A single-center randomized controlled trial was performed. Patients greater than 45 years of age and admitted for acute decompensated HF or recently discharged in the past 4 weeks were included. The intervention group used a mobile application (App). The intervention prompted daily self-monitoring and promoted self-management. The control group (No App) received usual care. The primary outcome was the change in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) from baseline to 6 and 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes were the Self-Care Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) questionnaire and recurrent HF admissions. RESULTS Eighty-three patients were enrolled and completed all baseline assessments. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups with the exception of HF etiology. The App group had a reduced MLHFQ at 6 weeks (37.5 ± 3.5 vs. 48.2 ± 3.7, P=0.039) but not at 12 weeks (44.2 ± 4 vs. 45.9 ± 4, P=0.778) compared to No App. There was no effect of the App on the SCHFI at 6 or 12 weeks. The time to first HF admission was not statistically different between the App versus No App groups (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.39-2.02, P=0.781) over 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The mobile application intervention improved MLHFQ at 6 weeks, but did not sustain its effects at 12 weeks. No effect was seen on HF self-care. Further research is needed to enhance engagement in the application for a longer period of time and to determine if the application can reduce HF admissions in a larger study. CLINICALTRIAL NCT03149510


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2151
Author(s):  
Berna Rahi ◽  
Hermine Pellay ◽  
Virginie Chuy ◽  
Catherine Helmer ◽  
Cecilia Samieri ◽  
...  

Dairy products (DP) are part of a food group that may contribute to the prevention of physical frailty. We aimed to investigate DP exposure, including total DP, milk, fresh DP and cheese, and their cross-sectional and prospective associations with physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults. The cross-sectional analysis was carried out on 1490 participants from the Three-City Bordeaux cohort. The 10-year frailty risk was examined in 823 initially non-frail participants. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess DP exposure. Physical frailty was defined as the presence of at least 3 out of 5 criteria of the frailty phenotype: weight loss, exhaustion, slowness, weakness, and low physical activity. Among others, diet quality and protein intake were considered as confounders. The baseline mean age of participants was 74.1 y and 61% were females. Frailty prevalence and incidence were 4.2% and 18.2%, respectively. No significant associations were observed between consumption of total DP or DP sub-types and frailty prevalence or incidence (OR = 1.40, 95%CI 0.65–3.01 and OR = 1.75, 95%CI 0.42–1.32, for a total DP consumption >4 times/d, respectively). Despite the absence of beneficial associations of higher DP consumption on frailty, older adults are encouraged to follow the national recommendations regarding DP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Kartas ◽  
A Samaras ◽  
D Vasdeki ◽  
G Dividis ◽  
G Fotos ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The association of heart failure (HF) with the prognosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. OBJECTIVES To assess all-cause mortality in patients following hospitalization with comorbid AF in relation to the presence of HF. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from 977 patients discharged from the cardiology ward of a single tertiary center between 2015 and 2018 and followed for a median of 2 years. The association between HF and the primary endpoint of death from any cause was assessed using multivariable Cox regression. Results HF was documented in 505 (51.7%) of AF cases at discharge, including HFrEF (17.9%), HFmrEF (16.5%) and HFpEF (25.2%). A primary endpoint event occurred in 212 patients (42%) in the AF-HF group and in 86 patients (18.2%) in the AF-no HF group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65 to 3.13; P<0.001). HF was associated with a higher risk of the composite secondary endpoint of death from any cause, AF or HF-specific hospitalization (aHR 1.69; 95% CI 1.32 to 2.16 p<0.001). The associations of HF with the primary and secondary endpoints were significant and similar for AF-HFrEF, AF-HFmrEF, AF-HFpEF. Conclusions HF was present in half of the patients discharged from the hospital with comorbid AF. The presence of HF on top of AF was independently associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality than did absence of HF, irrespective of HF subtype. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e039295
Author(s):  
Mary L. Greaney ◽  
Steven A. Cohen ◽  
Furong Xu ◽  
Christie L Ward-Ritacco ◽  
Deborah Riebe

ObjectivesTo determine if adults with overweight or obesity received counselling from their healthcare providers (HCPs) to lose weight and/or adopt healthful behaviours associated with weight loss, and whether they took action on their HCPs’ recommendations.DesignCross-sectional analysis of 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data.SampleNHANES respondents aged 18+ who were overweight/obese and had seen an HCP in the previous 12 months (n=13 158).MethodsRespondents reported if their HCPs recommended they control/lose weight, increase exercise/physical activity (PA) and/or reduce fat/calorie intake, and if they adopted the offered recommendation(s). Weighted logistic regression models examined receipt of HCP counselling by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and weight status accounting for demographic characteristics and complex sampling. Similar analyses examined reported adoption of HCPs’ recommendations.ResultsThe sample was 53.1% women, 45.0% were overweight and 55.0% had obesity. In total, 40.4% received counselling to control/lose weight, 49.5% to increase exercise/PA and 38.9% to reduce fat/calorie intake. The following groups were less likely (p<0.001) to receive counselling: men; younger adults (aged 18–39) versus middle-aged (aged 40–64) and older adults (aged 65+); White versus Black and Hispanic respondents; overweight respondents versus respondents with obesity. Approximately half of those advised to make changes reported doing so (53.6% controlled/lost weight, 57.3% increased exercise/PA, 51.8% reduced fat/calorie intake). Differences in the adoption of recommendations were identified by sex, age group, race/ethnicity and weight status (all p<0.05); women, middle-aged and older adults, Black and Hispanic respondents and individuals with obesity were more likely to adopt one or more recommendations.ConclusionMost respondents did not receive HCP counselling, and approximately half of those who received counselling reported taking action. HCPs may need training to provide counselling and to offer recommendations tailored to the social contexts of populations less likely to adopt weight control related recommendations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 418-429
Author(s):  
Joana Pereira Sousa ◽  
Hugo Neves ◽  
Miguel Pais-Vieira

Patients with heart failure have difficulty in self-care management, as daily monitoring and recognition of symptoms do not readily trigger an action to avoid hospital admissions. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of a nurse-led complex intervention on symptom recognition and fluid restriction. A latent growth model was designed to estimate the longitudinal effect of a nursing-led complex intervention on self-care management and quality-of-life changes in patients with heart failure and assessed by a pilot study performed on sixty-three patients (33 control, 30 intervention). Patients in the control group had a higher risk of hospitalisation (IRR 11.36; p < 0.001) and emergency admission (IRR 4.24; p < 0.001) at three-months follow-up. Analysis of the time scores demonstrated that the intervention group had a clear improvement in self-care behaviours (βSlope. Assignment_group = −0.881; p < 0.001) and in the quality of life (βSlope. Assignment_group = 1.739; p < 0.001). This study supports that a nurse-led programme on symptom recognition and fluid restriction can positively impact self-care behaviours and quality of life in patients with heart failure. This randomised controlled trial was retrospectively registered (NCT04892004).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document